A Strabane man has undergone knee replacement surgery at Altnagelvin Hospital after a seven-year wait that saw his operation cancelled twice. Patsy McGonagle, 71, was told in 2017 that he would need a new right knee and was given an expected waiting time of up to two years.

Mr McGonagle said the prolonged wait and repeated cancellations seriously affected his mobility and quality of life. He took prescription painkillers daily for five years but eventually found they offered little relief. He described having to plan every outing to limit walking and said the condition made him feel older than his age.

Following his surgery at the end of May, he praised the professionalism of staff at Altnagelvin but criticised Stormont ministers over waiting lists, calling them a disgrace and saying more funding was needed for such operations. He accused the government of not caring and urged a focus on delivering services rather than political point-scoring.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt previously stated that coordinated work had delivered significant reductions in the longest waiting times for diagnosis and treatment across waiting list priorities.

Mr McGonagle is now recovering at home, still using crutches and managing post-operative pain. He will assess the benefits of this operation before deciding when to undergo the same procedure on his left knee, which also needs replacement. He expressed hope that the next wait would not be as long.